Thursday, April 10, 2014

How to wash your hair with baking soda & vinegar

I've been wanting to share this for a long time.  In my hippie quest to banish nasty chemicals from my life I decided it was time to break up with my $50+ bottles of shampoo from the hairdressers. For years I had fallen for all the traps... more shine, more bounce, more length, less frizz, less curl etc, etc, etc.  
"It's not bloody working, what's wrong with me?", I would moan to my hairdresser.
"Give it time", my hairdresser would say soothingly. "Do you double shampoo?  You must always double shampoo!  Once to get the oils out and once to really clean your hair".
And so I bought more designer shampoo, and washed my hair more rigorously.  Eventually my hair was getting so greasy that I practically had to wash it every day.  Disaster!
Bugger this I thought, I'm quitting, I'm going cold turkey on the shampoo.  And then the night before my last foamy head massage I read an article on washing your hair with baking soda and vinegar.   I was skeptical of course, and more than a little worried about smelling like salad dressing for the day.  It certainly didn't feel terribly luxuries in the shower but the result amazed me.  My hair was not only clean but in no time at all the grease was so much better that I only had to go through the process a couple of times a week.  Best of all what used to be a $50+ habit turned into a mere few dollars a month.  As for my hairdresser, she shook her head in disbelief!
What you need:
 Baking soda
Apple cider vinegar/ water (you want to fill your spray bottle with a 50/50 ratio)
Spray bottle

What you do*:Wet your hair in the shower.  Take a cap full of baking powder (I keep mine in a water tight jar on the shower ledge) and massage it into your scalp.  If you have a lot of hair like I do you may need to use a little more.  Then generously spray your whole head with the vinegar/ water solution.  Leave the whole concoction in your hair for a good few minutes while you get on with shaving your legs, brushing your teeth or doing whatever else it is you do in there.  When your time is up you simply give your hair a good rinse.  And don't worry, that salad dressing smell doesn't linger.  Ta da, you're all done!  
*Oops somebody reminded me of a missed step.  It helps if you turn the baking soda into a bit of a paste before applying it.  I do this by just adding a little water in with the baking soda while I'm in the shower.  

If you find that your hair is a little dry you can always put a little coconut oil into the ends.  I found mine struggled a bit because of breastfeeding, so would occasionally put a conditioner treatment in afterwards.

Other uses for baking soda and vinegar:
Wow the possibilities are endless!  I mean you actually start realising that these are the only two ingredients you need in your bathroom cabinet AND laundry cupboard.
- Exfoliating
- Deodorising
- Oven cleaning
- Scrubbing showers etc
- Cleaning carpet
- Removing candle wax
Ah the list goes on.  Basically the uses are endless.

Anyway I hope that helps for all those that have asked me. xx

2 comments:

  1. Oh I want to try this but I'm worried that it will strip hair colour, I use baking soda once a week as a facial cleanser/ exfoliator and its great!

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  2. Yay, I am so happy to have found another lover of good old bicarb and apple cider vinegar!! I don't use the bicarb on my hair because it does strip colour. I do however rinse with the vinegar, and I use argan oil to try and control the frizzies. I have discovered that equal parts baking soda and my current facial cleanser is far superior than any scrub or cleanser that I have ever used. I use it every night and my skin has never been better. Thank you for such a great post.

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